Hives are itchy skin rash which is triggered by an allergen. The allergen is something that produces an allergic reaction such as nickel allergy which is a very common cause of allergic contact dermatitis.
Hives are usually caused by internal disease or infections, such as insect bites or foods and medication. Therefore, jewelry will not be the cause of hives. Fresh raw food is more commonly the cause of hives rather than cooked food.
Top Five Food causing Hives & Allergies
| Food Allergy | Tips & Examples |
| Cow’s Milk | Milk, Milk Powder, Butter, Cheese, Yogurt, Ice-Cream etc. |
| Tree Nuts | Almonds, Cashews, Brazil Nuts, Pine Nuts, Walnuts etc. |
| Peanuts | Peanut oil and Products that contain peanut ingredients |
| Shellfish | Shrimp, Lobster, Crayfish, Scallop, Clams and even Fish |
| Eggs | Usually Egg white causing hives, may not be the Yorks |
However, Nickel allergy most of the time is associated with jewelries like earrings, bracelets and necklace. Keep in mind, nickel can also be found coins, keys, cell phones, eyeglass frames, paper clips, pens, and even stainless steel cooking equipment.
When the body is in contact with a product containing nickel, it may result to a nickel allergy. This is the response of our body’s adverse immune system. Just so you know, our immune system would defend our body from any harmful substances such as bacteria and viruses.
However, if you have a nickel allergy, it’s because as your immune system allows nickel to enter your body and their mistakes nickel as a harmful intruder. As the result, your body produces a response in fighting back, which triggered an allergy reaction.
Itchy skin rash is one of the most common causes of allergic reaction to nickel. It can also cause you other skin changes such as blistering and redness. Once a nickel allergy has developed, it is unlikely to go away. The only way to get rid of this nickel allergy is to abstain or avoid using products or things containing nickel.
Common Symptoms of Nickel Allergy?
A person can develop a skin reaction within twelve to forty-eight hours after the skin is in contact with a product or item containing nickel. The symptoms of a nickel allergy could vary from person to person, but generally it includes bumps or skin rash, change in color or redness, itching, blisters but in severe cases and dry patches on the skin that resembles burnt.
Allergic contact dermatitis or skin rash is another allergy caused my nickel. Someone whom this kind of allergy almost always has localized reaction whenever your skin comes in contact with a product containing nickel.
That simply means that if you are wearing a necklace containing nickel, the skin affected will only be within around your neck. Allergic contact dermatitis causes the symptoms of the following:
- Fluid filled blisters
- Tender and warm skin
- Rough skin or dry and discolored skin
- Thickened skin or scaly and raw skin
- Severe itching
When a person is affected with allergic contact dermatitis, this will usually last from two to four weeks. In some, but rare cases, the nickel allergy will lead to respiratory problems which may include sneezing, asthma, runny nose and nasal inflammation. People with this kind of allergy will then take preventive measure at once or contact your physician.
Nickel Allergy Treatment
When you are hit by nickel allergy, there is no specific treatment but to avoid using products containing nickel. However, when you are in contact with it, your doctor may prescribe you with medications that may help reduce skin irritation brought about by nickel.
These medications include cetirizine or fexofenadine or other oral antihistamine, nonsteroidal cream, oral corticosteroid and corticosteroid cream. Make sure that you follow doctor’s orders and instructions so that your nickel allergy will be alleviated.
There are also home remedies for nickel allergy that you can do. When symptoms of allergic contact dermatitis show up, you can apply the following to the affected skin.
This includes moisturizing body lotion, calamine lotion and you can also do wet compress. If this does not work and it does not alleviate the condition of your allergy, contact your doctor at once.
Things to Avoid Nickel Allergy
If you are sensitive to nickel or allergic to products containing nickel, it would be best to not wear any jewelry containing nickel during hot and humid times.
Nickel allergy may worsen in hot and humid environment as sweat or perspiration leaches out of the nickel.
So before you go ahead and wear jewelries containing nickel, please review the things you need to do to avoid nickel allergy.
· Coat nickel jewelry. Should you decide to buy jewelry containing nickel, you are risking yourself to nickel allergy. However, this can be avoided if you will coat your jewelry with clear nail polish. Clear nail polish would be able to act as guard from getting your skin in contact with nickel.
· Be cautious in buying jewelry. Should you decide to buy jewelry, make sure the jewelry is nickel free. You can buy jewelry which is made of stainless steel, palladium and pure gold. If you decide to have your body pierced, make sure the needle to be used is stainless steel and nickel free.
· Choose only the best jewelry. If you can afford to buy pure gold jewelry or genuine jewelry, then it is best to wear only the best jewelry. It is best to stay safe than sorry. After all, genuine jewelry will bring out the best in you.
Fake vs. Genuine Jewelry
Fake jewelry, normally contains nickel and might risk you to nickel allergy. To avoid risking yourself to nickel allergy, it is best to be familiar with how to spot fake jewelry from genuine jewelry. Below are the easy steps to help you spot a fake jewelry.
Shopping jewelry online will make you prone to buying fake jewelry. So it is best to make an effort to try the tips below to avoid buying fake jewelries.
· Too good to be true. If you are offered a jewelry that claims genuine at a bargain price, usually it is a fake jewelry. Huge discounts are very rare, so whenever a jewelry is presented to you at a low price, do not grab immediately, instead trust your instinct and think again.
· Reputable seller. When you go shopping online, it should be from a reputable seller. A reputable seller would only sell genuine jewelry and if it is not genuine, they would gladly say that it is just a fashion jewelry. These unmoderated sales sites are the perfect venue for selling fake jewelries so be vigilant. So make sure to always buy your jewelry from a reputable seller.
· Return policy. Most of the jewelry items, especially if it is ordered online, come with a 14 days warranty. This is an initiative of the seller because you cannot see the items personally, With this return policy, you will be given a chance to see and handle the jewelry item personally.
In the event there are issues with the item, you can still return it to the seller. This is one indication that the jewelry is genuine. If the seller does not have any return policy, this is a big question mark and chances are the items sold in their store are fake and the worst part is, you will not be able to get your cash back.
· Documentation and Certification. When an online seller sells authentic jewelry, it should come with a certification. This certification will prove its authenticity.
If the jewelry you ordered online does not come with a certification when it arrives, then you can go ahead and ask a certification if you need them.
Also, the jewelry should come with documents with manufacturer’s details and care instructions. You might want to check with the instructions manual and if it is poorly written and poorly printed, this is an indication that the item is fake.
· Second opinion. If you are not too convinced or confident in the quality of the jewelry you received, you can always go and ask for a second opinion.
What you can do is make a
·
In the UK, all jewelry should be
Conclusion
We are happy to know jewelry is the cause of Hives. We also confirm knowing nickel allergy can be from your jewelry. Although, nickel allergy might be frightening.
You can actually avoid this allergy if you are responsible in learning the cause, just as you are doing right now. Reading this article will give you a strong overall basic knowledge to understand what nickel allergy is about.